House Eyiniyas

For almost five centuries, House Eyiniyas has lorded over the Straits surrounding E'in and Derost Islands, the latter domain being a fiercely loyal retainer of the house (previously, House Eyiniyas occupied an estate north of the Pale City, but moved northward after an advantageous marriage); during the early history of the Aulesiri Empire, the Eyiniyasi served in campaigns to defend the realm from Awaaji Raayakin incursions. Currently, the house is notable for its political and financial control over the Straits.

Traditionally, the descendants of House Eyiniyas are known as brilliant architects (a unique guild known as the Essaniyas), having built many of the defenses they would later ironically turn against in the War of the Pale Brothers (the Essaniyas were also commissioned frequently during the Solemn Age, a fact that they do not advertise very often).

Some sing of Lord Darra, current Lord Kellan's father, as nothing but a greedy opportunist, while others sing of his valiant and heroic deeds during the War. One thing is for certain: before the War of the Pale Brothers, the Eyiniyas domain was known as a realm of starving architects and poor fishermen, who holed themselves up behind mechanical walls when so much as a Priory canoe head their way; now, the family is a prestigious and stalwart symbol of the Straits themselves, and in excellent favor with the Pale.

House Eyiniyas is also known to be one of the earlier houses to pledge support for the Usurper, perhaps because of the house's close proximity to the the League of Chibor and its sphere of influence (the relationship between the houses was made even stronger when the League recognized Sarrel as an ancestral part of the Eyiniyas domain). This was beneficial to the usurper and the League of Chibor, for besieging E'in would have been nearly impossible logistically for Auren I and his supporters.

The defenses of the Isles are to be some of the most formidable, though the veracity of these claims has yet to be tested in the modern era; the Isles did not see much fighting during the War of the Pale Brothers, though Eyiniyasi naval efforts were crucial to the shipment of supplies from the north to the beleaguered armies of Auren I. Additionally, Lord Darra, prominent ancestor of the Eyiniyasi line, spent nearly three decades in the throes of battle for the usurper. The house's reward for these efforts was, and continues to be, the unquestioned ability to levy tolls on ships crossing through the straits and hefty taxes on trade (a right that was stubbornly never granted under the False Stone and the previous line of Luseysi).